


Going Up?

by Dragonflies_and_Katydids



Category: Original Work
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Urban Fantasy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-20
Updated: 2016-02-20
Packaged: 2018-05-21 23:56:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6062932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragonflies_and_Katydids/pseuds/Dragonflies_and_Katydids
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Somebody really needs to figure out what's wrong with that elevator.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Going Up?

**Author's Note:**

> So...yeah. This would be the first bit of non-fanfic I've written since January of last year. Just popped into my head tonight, and I actually wanted to write it, but now I don't know what to do with it.
> 
> So...enjoy?
> 
> (Sorry, I'm back to torturing Dorian now!)

The elevator was doing it again.

Gayle frowned at it, the frown she'd given her children when they tried to tell her the lamp broke itself, and the frown she now gave her grandchildren when they tried to tell her their mama let them get away with some foolishness. It was a frown that promised all kinds of unpleasant things, and it had cowed three generations of her family, if she counted her husband. Which she did.

The elevator, however, wasn't impressed. The light on the call button continued to glow red as if someone had pressed it, even though there wasn't anyone around now and there hadn't been anyone around when it started. Gayle knew what would happen next, too, because it happened at least twice a week: in a few more seconds, the elevator doors would open, and then it would sit there until someone came along and got in. Which was never a long wait, as busy as the building was, but Gayle was always personally offended by it. Elevators weren't supposed to _do_ that.

She was picking up the phone to place yet another service call--maybe if she annoyed them enough, they'd do something besides come out, poke the button a few times, and then talk down to her like she was stupid--when the sharp tap of high heels on marble made her drop her hand and prepare her Receptionist Face. At this hour, just before nine, it was likely someone's client, and while most of them were perfectly nice, some of them had manners she would have been embarrassed by, if she'd been their mama.

When the owner of said heels came into view around the corner, though, Gayle's smile turned real. "Good morning, Miz Novak," she said.

Ms. Novak looked up from her phone and smiled back. "Morning, Mrs. Fredericks."

That always tickled Gayle: she was supposed to call everyone by their last name, but most of them never bothered to return the favor. Not that she minded being called Gayle, it just never sat right with her, being Gayle while they were Mr. Smith and Mrs. Jones. It went with the job, though, and it was a good job in most ways, so she'd learned a long time ago to just set it aside.

"Your elevator's waiting for you," Gayle said, glancing at the open door, and Ms. Novak laughed. It was their little joke, the way Ms. Novak always seemed to have the best luck with elevators. Gayle didn't think she'd ever had to wait more than a few seconds.

"Your computer doing all right this morning?" Ms. Novak asked, pausing in front of Gayle's desk.

"Just fine, and thank you for asking." Gayle and her computer were not on good terms most days, but Ms. Novak had a way with it. The phone, too. Anything electronic, really. She could just touch it, and suddenly, everything was fine again. The boys at the help desk rolled their eyes at Gayle when she said that, and she knew it wasn't really magic, but some days, it sure looked like it.

"Good," Ms. Novak said, smiling wider. "Just let me know if that error message comes back. I've got a couple meetings this morning, but-...hey!"

In the middle of turning toward the waiting elevator, Ms. Novak almost got run over by a man--Gayle wouldn't call him a gentleman--in an expensive suit and a big hurry. Without even a trace of embarrassment, he barreled past them into the elevator and jabbed the button, closing the door while Ms. Novak stood there staring.

"Well," Gayle said. Like the look she had been giving the elevator earlier, that word in that tone had kept a number of hellions in line over the years. "Some people's children."

Ms. Novak didn't seem to hear: she was giving the elevator a strange look. A frown, but a frown like she was concentrating on something, not like she'd nearly been run down by someone who didn't have any kind of manners.

The elevator made a strange noise, half grinding and half squealing, and Gayle winced. "Well," she said again, in an entirely different tone. "Maybe it's just as well he stole your elevator, isn't it?"

"Isn't it," Ms. Novak agreed. She took a step closer to press the call button for the other elevator, and said without turning, "Time for another service call, I guess."

"Maybe they'll do something about it, this time," Gayle said, thinking about that call button lighting up when no one was around.

"Maybe," Ms. Novak said agreeably, and smiled down at her phone.


End file.
